Automobile frame



E. ALMDALE Sept. 29, 1942.

AUTOMOB ILE FRAME Filed May 7, 1940 N\ a was VRQNMB INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT orties AUTOIWIOBILE FRAME Einar Almdale, Detroit, Mich., assignor to The Midland Steel Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 7, 1940, Serial No. 333,725

9 Claims. (Cl. 280-106) This invention relates to structural members of axle and on back to the rearmost ends of the side vehicle frames and an important object of the rails. The free longitudinal edges oi the upper invention is to provide means for forming such and lower ilanges I4 and I5 are provided with members into hollow box section having greater a plurality of rectangular notches I along the torsional resistance and beam strength than upwardly inclined and rearwardly extending porpresent box section members. tion of the rear kickup. As will be noted, the Another object of the invention is to provide notches in the upper flange are staggered with a hollow section member with strut means exrelation to those provided in the lower flange. tending through the hollow section which also A cross member II is provided for connecting serve to fasten together the members forming l0 the two side rails Il in spaced parallel relationthe hollow section. ship. In this illustration, it will be noted that the A further object of the invention is to provide cross member I'I is inclined at an obtuse angle reinforcements for the rear kickup portions of with respect to the side rail since it forms one of the frame by making use of the end of a cross the rearwardly diverging arms of the usual X- member which is formed to increase the hollow l5 shaped cross member arranged approximately at section at the juncture of the cross member with the central portion of the frame. This arm I'I is the rail and where the rear kickups of the frame of channel section and faces outwardly with outare of smaller section and receive the greatest wardly extending horizontal ilanges IS and I9 stress. and a connecting web portion 2li. This obliquely Other objects and advantages of the inven- 20 disposed arm I'I meets the up bend of the rear tion willbecome apparent during the course of the kickup at a point spaced forwardly of the rear following description. axle I2 and is continued along the same in In the accompanying drawing forming a part parallel relation therewith as designated by the of the application and wherein like numerals are numeral 2|. This parallel portion 2l is of a size employed to designate like parts throughout the 35 to nest within the channel of the kickup portion several views, of the side rail with its upper and lower anges Fig. 1 is a top plan of the section of an autojuxtaposed with respect t0 the rail elflges 'DO be mobile side rail over the rear axle of the vehicle, Secured together to form the kickup portion into Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, hollow completely closed box section as shown in Fig. 3 is an enlarged exploded View of this por- 3i Figs. 4 and 5. The extended end of the cross tion of the frame, member extends along the kickup portion to a Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken point beyond the rear axle where it is inclined cn the line 4--4 of Fig. l, inwardly as at 22 to be riveted or otherwise se- Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5 5 cured to the web I3 of the side rail by means of of Fig. 1, f3; the rivets 23. The upper and lower flanges of this Fig. 6 is a top plan of the same portion of the cross member which are nested within the chanframe as is shown in Fig. l and illustrating a nel of the kickup portion are provided with recmodiiied construction, tangular notches 24 complementary to the Fig. '7 is a transverse section of the same.. notches I6 to cooperate therewith in forming Referring more particularly to the drawing, im Openings When the members are DeSISe.

the numeral I0 designates that portion of a In order to increase the Strength Of this bUX longitudinally disposed side rail Il of an autosection formation, a vertical strut plate of mobile frame which is offset from the rest of the heavier gauge than the side rail and cross memrail in a vertical direction to form what is comber is shaped to the curvature of the kickup and monly known as a kickup to be disposed over the 'i5 has its upper and 10Wer edges provided with weldrear axle I2 of the motor vehicle. Each side rail ing lugs 25 arranged in the Seme lll-elle therewith of the frame is composed of a light gauge inand in staggered relationship to be received in wardly facing channel member having a vertical 1Bhe Openings formed by the COODereDiOD and regsweb I3 and upper and lower horizontal anges I4 tration of the notches I6 and 24. These lugs are and I5 respectively. As is usual in the side rails 50 of such height as t0 DrOjeCIS threugh Upper and of Vehicle frames, the major portions thereof are lower lapped flanges and beyond the outermost of much greater depth or web height than the so as to be welded or burned down to fuse the relatively smaller sections in the kickup portions, metal at the ends thereof With the edges of the and this is especially true of the kickup portions openings and thus rigidly secure the parts in of the frame which are disposed over the rear permanent position. It will be noted that the up bend of the side rails and increase the area of the section the web portion 29 is pressed or formed outwardly as at 21 and gradually merges at its forward end into the web portion which inclines away from the side rail as best seen in Fig. 1. This construction increases the area of the box section formation at the juncture of the cross member and side rail.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown a modification of the idea wherein the side rail 28 is of uniform box section throughout its entire length andv may be made by any known method. The cross member Il in this instance corresponds with that shown in Fig. l with the exception that its horizontal flanges terminate in vertical flanges 29 which are riveted as at 3B or otherwise secured to the inner web portion of the rail in the same area of the kickup as that shown in the remaining figures of -f the drawing to form a double box section.

While I have described and illustrated the two forms of invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions,

additions and substitutions may be made therein f without departing from the spirit of the invention orA the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automobile frame, a hollow light gauge closed box section side rail., a vertical web strut of heavier gauge spaced from its side walls and extending through the sections at one side of its neutral axis and close thereto to increase its torsional resistance and to divide it into several box sections.

2. In an automobile side rail of hollow light gauge completely closed box section with a kickup portion of smaller area than the intermediate portion of the rail, a vertical web strut of heavier gauge extending longitudinally through the i smaller area section to one side of its neutral axis to increase its torsional resistance and provided with shoulders to support opposite sides of the box section.

3. AV structural member comprising a pair of channel sections arranged with their flanges extending toward one another, the flanges being correspondingly notched whereby the notches of the two sections are complementary to provide openings, and a strut arranged vertically between i the two sections and having its edges provided with lugs extending through said openings and welded to the edges thereof.

4. A structural member comprising a pair of closed channel sections arranged with their webs spaced apart and their flanges correspondingly notched and overlapped to bring the notches into registration to provide openings, and a strut member arranged between the channels and provided on opposite margins with lugs extending through the registering notches and being welded to the edges thereof to unite the flanges, and the portions of the strut between its lugs forming the support for the overlapped anges of the channel sections.

5. A structural member comprising a pair of channel sections having the free margins of their flanges correspondingly notched to register and provide openings when the sections are nested one inside of the other with their open channels facing each other and their flanges overlapping to provide a closed box section, and a strut having both longitudinal edges provided with lugs arranged in staggered relation and extending through said openings provided in said overlapped flanges and welded to the edges of said openings.

6. In an automobile frame, a longitudinal side rail of channel section having an extensive vertical offset portion or kickup, of means for increasing the torsional strength of said offset portion comprising a channel section reinforcement arranged in opposed relation to the channel of the rail and with its flanges arranged in overlapped relation with the flanges of the rail to form the offset portion into box section, said overlapped flanges having registering openings therein, and a vertical strut forming a wall between the overlapped flanges and having lugs extending from opposite edges to project through the openings in the overlapped flanges and being welded thereto to unite the same.

'7. In an automobile frame, a longitudinal side rail of channel section having an extensive vertical offset portion or kickup, of means for increasing the torsional strength of the up-bend of said offset portion comprising a channel section reinforcement extending at an angle to the rail and having a portionl arranged in opposed relation to the channel of the rail with its flanges secured to the flanges of the rail to form the upbend of the offset portion into box section, and said portion of said channel section reinforcement having its web portion formed with an out wardly pressed rib at a point beginning where the reinforcement meets the side rail to provide a box section of greater area than is provided by only the rail and reinforcement.

8. In an automobile frame, a longitudinal rail, a cross member of channel section having. an angular end bent to extend parallel with the rail and having its flanges secured to the rail, and the web portion of the cross member having a pressed out rib at the bend thereof Where it merges into the rail to strengthen and increase the area of the section at that point.

9. A structural member for a part of an automobile chassis, comprising a hollow light gauge unitary member of completely closed boxv section, and a heavier gauge web strut coextensive with the same and extending lengthwise inside of the box section on one side of its neutral axis, said strut being secured to opposite sides of the box section and spaced from the other two opposite sides of the box section to increase its torsional resistance and to divide it into several separate hollow sections.

EINAR ALMDA-LE. 

